Battle for Basra

We explore an internal Shia struggle for control of southern Iraq.

The Ministry of Oil is controlled by the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), to which the prime minister belongs

People & Power report on one of the most under-reported and contentious issues in Iraq today - the fight to control Iraq's military stronghold.

Basra is the richest city in Iraq – its oil fields tap one of the largest pools of petroleum in the world. Possessing over 80 per cent of Iraq's known oil reserves, this region has become the site of a battle for political control between the three largest Shia parties in Iraq – Abdul Aziz al-Hakim's Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, Moqtada al-Sadr's Badr Brigades, and the Fadhila Party, backed by Basra's governor and the oil workers union.

Basra's exports reportedly brought $31b into Baghdad last year - accounting for 93 per cent of the federal budget. Yet residents say they have not seen any improved services or reconstruction projects in the area - or are some just too frightened to speak publicly about it?

Filmmakers Rick Rowley and David Enders report from Basra city, where there is growing worry that the fight for control of Basra's petroleum wealth may grow into an all-out war.

Borderline Sanctuary

The bustling border town of Mae Sot has long been a magnet for refugees fleeing Myanmar

Last month's pro-democracy protests in Myanmar resulted in a massive military crackdown on activists, many of which were arrested, beaten or seized from their homes in the middle of the night.

Only now, however, is the full horror of the government's repression slowly emerging. Their accounts reveal how a campaign of systematic punishment and psychological terror has been waged against civilians - from innocent bystanders to peace-protesting monks.

People & Power visits the "the friendship bridge" - the border between Myanmar and the town of Mae Sat, in Thailand, where thousands fled to safety.

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This episode of People & Power airs from Wednesday October 31, 2007 at the following times GMT: